Atalanta legend Papu Gómez has lavished praise on Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman, highlighting the key differences between their playing styles, Soccernet.ng reports.
Gómez also acknowledged the Super Eagles star’s remarkable achievements in Bergamo.
Lookman has been a revelation for Atalanta since his arrival just over two years ago, earning the club’s Player of the Season award for two consecutive years.
His heroics reached new heights in May when he netted a hat-trick in Atalanta’s historic Europa League final victory over Bayer Leverkusen, securing the club’s first European trophy.
The 26-year-old has amassed 40 goals in 92 appearances for Atalanta, climbing to 15th on the club’s all-time scorers list.
Though still 19 goals short of Gómez’s record of 59 in 252 matches, Lookman’s trajectory is nothing short of extraordinary.
Gómez, who also contributed 72 assists during his seven-year spell, sees himself as a different type of player compared to Lookman.
“He’s not like me. He’s hungry for goals; I was hungrier for assists,” said the Argentine as per Tutto Atalanta.
“His ability to target the man throughout the game is impressive. He’s grown a lot in team play, you can see that he talks to his teammates and integrates well into Gasperini’s system.”
Lookman’s Serie A stats underline his impact— 30 goals and 20 assists in just 71 league games.
His exploits earned him the second-highest ranking among Serie A players at the 2024 Ballon d’Or and cemented his reputation as one of the game’s finest forwards.
As one of the final five nominees for the 2024 African Player of the Year award, Lookman is now considered the frontrunner to claim the prestigious honour.
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